Rice-polishing machine.



No. 742,939. PATENTED NOV. s, 1903.

R. W. WELGH. RICE POLISHING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, 1902.

no MODEL.

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Patented November 3, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSIA W. WELOH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ROYAL MILLING AND MANUFACTURING OOM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

RICE-POLISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,939, dated November 3, 1903. Application filed October Z9 1902. Serial N0. 129,191.' (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROSIA WJVELOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Rice- Polishing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rice-polishing machines.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,'in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved rice-polishing machine with the framework and the enveloping screen or casing in section on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the skeleton frame or Wheel designed to support the polishing-disk. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of said disks separate from its support.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates the machine framework' provided with upper and lower cross-beams cm. WVithin the said framework and below the lower cross-beams a are three step-bearings b, two of which are stationary and the other of which is vertically adjustable by being mounted on a pivot-beam I), worked by means of a lighter screwb and to the upper cross-beams a is secured a bracket 0, provided with three shaft-bearings c. Mounted to rotate in said upper and lower bearings c and b are three vertical shafts d, one of which is provided with a driving-pulley d and with two spurgears d one of said spur-gears meshing with a similar spur-gear d on one of the other shafts and the other spur-gear d meshing with a spur-gear d on the remaining shaft. Each of said shafts d carries a series of wovenwire polishing-disks B, one above the other,

and the three series are arranged with their peripheries overlapping, as indicated in the drawings. Each of said disks is carried on a rimless-wheel support e, consisting of a hub e, adapted to fit on the shaft, and radial staggered spokes e and the woven-wire disk fits around the said hub and lies first above one spoke, then below the next spoke, and so on, thereby producing a circumferential sinuosity of the disk, as indicated in Fig. 1. Each disk is provided with one or more radial slots f, as shown best in Fig. 4. The three series ofdisks B are inclosed by a stationary shell 0, comprising upper and lower circular heads gg and a screen h, of woven wire, supported between said heads and two posts or brackets iand conforming to the outline of the series of disks, but spaced therefrom, as indicated in Fig. 2. Fig. 1 for the sake of cle'arness shows only a section of this screen. A hopperj is supported on the upper head g, and a discharge-spout Z is connected to the lower head g and is provided with a gate Z.

In practical operation a quantity of rice to be polished is fed into the hopper-j and thence passes onto the disks B, which are kept revolving in the direction of the darts, Fig. 2.

In the actual construction of the machine the surfaces of the disks are close enough together to act with abrasion against the grains of rice, which are thereby polished by such abrasion and also by attrition, and the rice finds its way down finally through the radial slots fand through the space between the disks and the screen h and is discharged out of the spout lin a pearly-white condition. The dust and other small particles of impurities from the rice will be sifted out through the screen h. The disks B of one shaft may be raised or lowered whenever desired by means of the lighter screw.

Having thus fully describedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.-

In a rice-polishing machine, the combination of a plurality of vertical rotary shafts; a series of skeleton frames or wheels mounted one above the other on each shaft 'and provided with staggered spokes; woven-wire disks supported on said wheels and extending alternately over and below said spokes where- 'by-to produce a circumferential sinuosity, 

